


One Thing Led to Another

by TentacleBubbles



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: A Day in the Life of Issei and Takahiro, Cat, Christmas fic, Coffee Shop, Dog - Freeform, EnnoTana mentioned, Fire, Firemen, Fluff, M/M, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, Pets, Winter, cat called Puffers, fluffy fluffy fluff, pomeranian called Puffington, setting your kitchen on fire, via really old microwave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-16 22:32:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13063539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TentacleBubbles/pseuds/TentacleBubbles
Summary: First there was a fire, and then there was the little white lie, and then there was coffee, and really, that's when things kind of felt off. Which is saying something, since Takahiro was more used to accidentally setting things on fire during the holidays than anything.ORBecause of an ancient microwave, Takahiro and Issei end up getting a cat, and because they got a cat, they also got a dog. Makes sense, right?





	One Thing Led to Another

**Author's Note:**

  * For [calmgeyama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/calmgeyama/gifts).



> Eyy this is a Christmas gift for calmgeyama, whom I shall also tag on tumblr so they'd see this. Hi, hope you like your gift! I tried to include everything in your request, but I think I ended up not nailing everything, sorry. Hope you like it anyway!
> 
> I hope anyone else who reads this also likes this!!

Coffee for Issei, and hot chocolate for Takahiro. Pancakes and bacon for them both. That was how their Saturday mornings usually went. Sometimes there’s also a significant amount of coffee mixed into Takahiro’s hot chocolate, sometimes Issei drank orange juice in an attempt to be ‘healthy but energized’.

Usually, the apartment building’s fire alarm wasn’t blaring, and they’re not standing outside in the snow with a bunch of other disgruntled apartment dwellers. The only ones looking even mildly lively were the fire-fighters who responded to the alarm.

Issei blamed the ancient microwave they had found in the back of one of the kitchen cabinets that morning.

“I’m just saying, a whole bunch of fire-fighters seem a bit excessive,” Takahiro whispered to his boyfriend. The two of them stood back, watching the emergency personnel interrogate their neighbours and making sure there wasn’t an open flame left in the whole building. Someone finally turned off the alarm a few minutes earlier.

“Whose fault is that again?” Issei whispered back, expression neutral.

“I have no idea,” Takahiro replied, deadpan.

Eventually, a fire-fighter approached them, presumably to ask if they knew how the fire started. Which, of course, they did. Oh they definitely did.

Before the fire-fighter could even open his mouth, Takahiro burst into tears. Issei immediately pulled him into a comforting hug, letting Takahiro bury his face in his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Issei shot the fire-fighter an apologetic look, “I think the shock’s finally getting to us.”

“Uhh, right,” the fire-fighter looked mildly alarmed, but did his best not to seem like it, “I’m, uh, I just wanted to ask a few questions about the fire?”

“Yes?” Issei motioned with a hand, “what would you like to know?”

“The fire started in apartment 3B, which is yours, right?” the fire-fighter asked, taking out a notepad and pen.

“Yes, that’s our apartment,” Issei nodded. Takahiro sobbed noisily, much to the fire-fighter’s discomfort.

“Uhm, and it was your kitchen that was the main site of the fire, yes?” the fire-fighter glanced from his notepad to Issei, doing his best to seem all professional. Issei wondered if he was new.

“It sure was,” Issei said with another nod.

“Then, uh, can you tell us how the fire started?”

“Well-” Issei was about to explain just how the fire started, when Takahiro wailed.

“Ohh, poor Puffers,” Takahiro lamented, sniffing wetly. The fire-fighter looked towards Issei, silently asking ‘what the hell?’

“Our cat, Puffers,” Issei explained, patting his boyfriend on the back, tightening his hold in an attempt to comfort him, “we’re not sure how the fire started, really, because we weren’t awake. We think it might’ve been our cat.”

“Your cat… started the fire?” the fire-fighter asked.

“We think, we’re not sure,” Issei ‘admitted’ with a slow shrug, “we don’t even know if Puffers got out alive. Did you- I mean, you don’t think-?” he furrowed his brows, schooling his expression into one of held back concern.

“Ah, I’m not- we didn’t find any, uh, dead cats,” the fire-fighter said, wincing at his own words. Takahiro made a choked sound, holding onto Issei even tighter. Issei kept his expression completely blank.

“We could- if you’d describe the cat, we could keep an eye out for them?” the fire-fighter suggested.

The interrogation only got more awkward from there. After a few more questions the fire-fighter finally left them, probably as eager to be done with the conversation as Issei was.

“Hiro, honey, babe, sugar plum,” Issei whispered, “as much as I love cuddling you out in the cold harsh winter outdoors, I have to say that was a dick move.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Takahiro muttered. Neither of them really moved from their positions.

“Listen, we both know you’re just crying so you don’t have to tell the fireman that you set the kitchen on fire,” Issei said, placing a kiss on the top of his boyfriend’s head, “wonderful acting, by the way.”

“Thank you, sweetie,” Takahiro pulled away enough to shoot his boyfriend a cheeky grin, “I learned from the best.”

“Don’t let Oikawa hear you say that.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Hey! Crazy morning, right?”

The pair’s cute couple’s banter was interrupted by one of their neighbours approaching them. It was Tanaka, their next door neighbour, all bundled up in mismatched red and green pyjamas, boots, a jacket, a bright yellow scarf, and a blue woolly hat. He looked sleepy, like most of them were, but he gave the pair a friendly grin just the same.

“I didn’t know you had a cat,” Tanaka said, “I overheard you talking to that fire-fighter earlier.”

“Oh yeah, Puffers is new,” Issei raised a hand in greeting.

“Our precious child,” Takahiro sniffed, looking teary-eyed, “I wonder if she’s okay.”

“I’ll tell everyone to keep an eye out, yeah?” Tanaka asked, eager to help.

“Thanks,” Takahiro smiled, watery, “we’re hoping she might be hiding somewhere in the apartment. But any help is welcome.”

One of the fire-fighters announced the all-clear, finally, and everyone began trudging back into their homes, perfectly happy to get out of the cold.

Takahiro and Issei, of course, also headed back to their apartment. Their entire kitchen’s a mess, unfortunately, but at least the rest of the apartment wasn’t. Takahiro flopped down on their couch with a sigh. Issei sat down beside him.

“I’m hungry, Issei.”

“I’m sure they managed to salvage some of your mac and cheese.”

“That black box over there look ‘salvaged’ to you?”

“If you add a bit of salt…”

“Issei, darling, sweetums, candy corn,” Takahiro sat up, turning in his seat. He grabbed his boyfriend by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eye.

“If we don’t go out to eat right now I’m going to die and you won’t have anyone to cuddle with in the cold, harsh winter outdoors.”

“I’ll have Puffers,” Issei pointed out, biting back a smile.

“Puffers doesn’t exist,” Takahiro said with the conviction of a man who knew the truth.

A minute passed in silence.

“Let’s go to that coffee shop you really like?” Issei suggested, unable to completely keep the smile off his face.

“Yes. Let me just put on some pants,” Takahiro nodded, giving his boyfriend a peck on the cheek. He bounced off the couch, walking straight to their bedroom.

Fifteen minutes later found the pair back outside, more appropriately dressed and strolling towards their favourite coffee shop.

Bag of Beans was a bright place, with multi-coloured tables, and beanbag chairs of varying designs and sizes. Funky pop music played in the background. Their coffee and pastries also had varying colours and names that were hilarious out of context.

“Hi,” Takahiro beamed at the cashier, “we’ll have two Red Rimmed Mochas, and three Feather Boas.”

The cashier beamed back, making small talk with the two regulars as their order was prepared. Within minutes Takahiro was lounging in a beanbag large enough to swallow him whole, sipping his Red Rimmed Mocha. Issei was sitting on a smaller beanbag beside him, leaning forward on the table and fiddling with his phone with one hand, a soft, warm pastry in the other.

“So,” Issei drawled, “what are we planning to do about our missing cat?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Issei, we don’t have a cat,” Takahiro said with a snort.

“That’s not what our neighbours think.”

“Don’t tell me you want to adopt a cat, Issei,” Takahiro did his best to sit up, failing a few times. He managed to surface enough to see the deadpan expression on his boyfriend’s face. “No. Issei. They’ll forget anyway, or we can pretend we never found her.”

“It was Tanaka who overheard us, Hiro,” Issei said matter-of-factly, “he’ll get the whole complex searching by sundown. Every stray cat they find will be presented to us. Are you prepared to turn down each and every one of those cats, Takahiro?”

Takahiro frowned. Issei only used his full name when he was being extra persuasive and they both knew it.

“So we get a cat and stay ahead of them?” he challenged, but it already sounded like surrender.

“Glad we’re in an agreement,” Issei nodded, smiling. He leaned towards his boyfriend and managed to give him a peck on the lips over the beanbag that Takahiro was still half-submerged in.

After breakfast, they walked around, looking for a pet store that none of their neighbours would likely know about. They ended up halfway across town, in a cute little pet store that doubled as an animal shelter.

The friendly employees let them walk around for as long as they liked, and they spent more than a few minutes with almost each cat and dog they saw. There were so many of them, of so many different kinds, sizes, colours. Takahiro couldn’t remember why they haven’t thought of getting a pet sooner.

It was when Issei was having a hushed conversation with an excitable little Pomeranian that Takahiro saw her.

She was an adorable long-hair, black and orange and lounging on an open cage, licking her paw. She made eye contact with Takahiro, and if cats had eyebrows, he’s sure this one would be raising one at him challengingly. She was, without a doubt, the kind of cat that wouldn’t hesitate to set a kitchen on fire. By accident, of course.

“Issei. Issei, look,” Takahiro nudged his boyfriend, not breaking eye contact with the cat.

Issei looked up from what he was doing, eyebrow raised. He followed Takahiro’s gaze, and the eyebrow rose further.

“Is that Puffers?” he asked.

“That is definitely Puffers,” Takahiro nodded.

Issei glanced back at the Pomeranian still in his lap. Then at the cat. The Pomeranian. The cat.

“Hiro, we have a problem,” Issei began, “Puffington wants to come with.”

“Oh my fucking god, Issei,” Takahiro finally tore his gaze away from the cat, so he could look at his boyfriend incredulously.

“Look at Puffington and tell her no,” Issei challenged, picking up the Pomeranian so she’d be eye level with his boyfriend.

Takahiro frowned. The Pomeranian looked positively excited to see him.

“Issei I’m not ready to have two kids,” Takahiro hissed.

“Then say no,” Issei said. He was completely deadpan, but Takahiro could hear the smirk in his voice.

Takahiro glared at his boyfriend. He glanced back at the Pomeranian and promptly melted. The Pomeranian waggled her tail.

“Welcome to the family, Puffington,” Takahiro sighed. Puffington yipped and wriggled.

Issei smirked, depositing their new dog into Takahiro’s lap. Takahiro kept up a frown but cuddled Puffington closer to himself. Issei went over to where the cat sat, carefully reaching out a hand.

The cat sniffed his hand delicately, and for a long tense moment it didn’t look like she’d accept the invitation. But then she bumped her head on his hand and stood up, suddenly demanding all of Issei’s attention.

“Welcome to the family, Puffers,” Issei cooed, delightedly picking up their new cat. He made his way back to where Takahiro and Puffington sat.

Side by side, they let the cat and dog sniff at each other. Puffers lost interest almost immediately, instead rubbing up against Issei and purring. Puffington seemed more invested in meeting her new friend, but was just as happy to give attention to Takahiro when it was obvious that the cat didn’t want any from her.

A half hour passed by before either of them thought to get up. When they did, it was because it was almost lunch time and both men were starting to get hungry. They went through the process of officially adopting Puffers and Puffington, bought a few basic pet owner items like food and collars and a leash for Puffington.

Neither of them had a car, and they weren’t going to walk halfway across town with all the stuff they bought. They called a cab, bundled in, endured holiday traffic.

“Holy shit, Hiro!” Issei exclaimed, sitting up. Puffington thought it might be some sort of beginning to a game, and yipped excitedly.

“Did it finally dawn on you that we’re in charge of two lives other than our own now?” Takahiro asked, reigning Puffington in so that Puffers wouldn’t get any more agitated inside the cab.

“No- well, yes,” Issei petted Puffers consolingly, “but we don’t have a kitchen.”

“I’m sure our neighbours will be more than happy to help us feed our children,” Takahiro said, “and if not, we’ll commandeer Iwaizumi’s kitchen.”

Issei took a moment to consider this.

“Very good counterpoints,” he nodded.

Silence descended over the cab. As much silence as can be achieved with an excitable Pomeranian and a slightly agitated cat in a moving enclosed space, anyway. It was a long ride.

By the time they arrived at their apartment complex, Takahiro was all ready to throw himself onto their couch and just focus on breathing. He didn’t think he’d have energy for much more than that. Issei noticed this, because of course he did, and carried most of their stuff up the stairs. Takahiro was left with one shopping bag and Puffers in his arms. He wasn’t about to complain.

Back at their apartment, Puffers wriggled out of Takahiro’s grip and earnestly began her exploration of her new home. Puffington followed suit, running about excitedly. Takahiro was finally able to flop dramatically onto their couch. Issei took the shopping bag he was carrying and placed it with the stuff they bought on the dining table. The table was only slightly blackened.

“At least our refrigerator survived,” Issei commented. He scanned said refrigerator’s contents. Condiments, drinks, half a gallon of milk, eggs, other normal stuff.

“What should we do for lunch?” Issei asked, closing the fridge. He didn’t feel like cooking that much.

“Pizza?” Takahiro suggested. He didn’t feel like cooking either.

“Oh, good idea,” Issei had his phone out in seconds. He had just ended the call and settled on the couch with Takahiro to chill when their doorbell rang.

The two of them exchanged puzzled glances. The pizza guys weren’t usually _that_ fast.

“You guys in there?” Tanaka’s voice carried easily through the door. The pair exchanged another glance, except this time with more raised eyebrows.

Issei took his sweet time getting up and answering the door. Tanaka grinned at him, all teeth and friendliness. He held a tinfoil wrapped bundle in his hands that smelled and _looked_ warm.

“Hey there!” he greeted, handing Issei the bundle. “Chikara said you’re welcome to borrow our old extra fridge if yours died. Have you found your cat?”

“Yes, Puffers is alive and well,” Issei passed the bundle over to Takahiro, who had come to investigate. “And thank you for the food. Our fridge survived, at least.”

“That’s great, man!” Tanaka grinned wider, if that was possible. “The fridge, and the cat!”

“This looks good,” Takahiro looked up from peeking under the tinfoil, “want to come in and meet Puffers?”

“Nah, I have to go to work soon,” Tanaka shook his head, hand coming up for a farewell wave. He paused halfway, because from somewhere in the house came a very excited series of yips and barks. Issei muttered and speed-walked towards the room where the sounds seemed to have come from.

“Is that Puffers?” he asked, eyebrows raised high.

“That’s Puffington,” Takahiro explained, watching the door where his boyfriend disappeared into, “our dog. She gets excited a lot.”

“You have a dog, too?” Tanaka asked with a laugh.

“Got her just this morning,” Takahiro nodded, smiling sheepishly, “Puffers had taken a liking to her, so we figured, why not.”

“That’s amazing,” Tanaka laughed again, looking torn between leaving and wanting to peak into the house. Takahiro was just about to remind him of his supposed work when Tanaka’s phone buzzed, and his eyes widened when he saw the message of whoever texted him.

“I gotta go,” he said, looking very excited for someone seemingly going to work. “I’ll see ya around!”

“Bye,” Takahiro waved and watched Tanaka disappear down the hall. When he went back inside, closing the door behind him, he was met with Issei struggling to control their pets. Puffington _really_ wanted to play with Puffers, or cuddle or something, but Puffers was having none of it. She had climbed up on Issei’s shoulders somehow and Issei was just doing his best not to trip on Puffington. The dog was jumping and running about in confusing, hazardous circles around Issei’s legs.

“Here, hold on,” Takahiro practically threw the tinfoil bundle (some nice looking meat dish, maybe ham or a slab of beef?) at the table and dove for Puffington, scooping her up in his arms. Issei collapsed on the couch, and Puffers finally released her death grip on his shoulders and settled primly on one of the armrests.

“Are they supposed to be this hyper?” Issei asked with a groan.

“Puffington is a very lively child,” Takahiro sat down on one of the armchairs, far enough away that the dog hadn’t noticed the cat yet. “Aren’t you, Puffington? Yes you are! Yes!”

Puffington practically ate up the attention, licking Takahiro’s face, tail wagging so hard her butt was shaking.

“At least we have food,” Issei sighed, sitting up properly, “what’d they give us? Can we eat it without a fork?”

“It’s meat, so we probably have to cut it up, at least,” Takahiro said with a preoccupied shrug, “pizza’s gonna be here soon, anyway.”

Puffington yipped as if in agreement, and the doorbell rang on cue, the only way it could in well-rehearsed stories. This time, Issei didn’t waste a second in darting to the door, grabbing his wallet on the way. Not five minutes later he was back at the couch, laying a pizza box on the coffee table.

“I can’t believe we’re so old we can only eat one box at a time,” Takahiro commented, putting Puffington down on the floor and reaching for said box.

“I can’t believe you’re so old you don’t remember us only ever being able to eat one box at a time,” Issei shot back, reaching for a slice and keeping an eye on Puffers. She was eyeing the pizza box as if it were issuing a challenge.

But a half hour passed by in relative peace. After they’ve eaten their first slice each, they had enough energy to at least give their new pets some food, and put away the things they bought, as well as the food Tanaka and his husband made for them. They then went back to eating their pizza, turning the TV on to a nature documentary about lions. All four apartment dwellers enjoyed relative peace, and the apartment settled down.

“Hm, Hiro? You up?” Issei asked, own voice soft and lethargic.

“I’m full, and the lions are majestic creatures,” Takahiro answered, just as softly, “Puffers agrees with me.” The cat was in his lap, also full and contentedly purring.

“I’ve been thinking,” Issei said conversationally, watching the lion cubs on TV playing around, the narrator’s voice all but background noise, “It’s still pretty early. Have we already achieved all we need to do today? Is our To-Do list all done?”

Takahiro pouted, not in the mood for contemplation. But it did feel as if they ought to be doing more that day.

“Well, let’s see,” he mused, giving up listening to the narrator as well. “We already set the kitchen on fire, got our coffee and bean bag fix, got a cat and a dog, took care of like, almost all their paperwork. We bought the stuff they need, we’re all set for dinner thanks to our lovely neighbours. What else?”

“We could clean up our kitchen?” Issei suggested. Takahiro shot him an unimpressed look. It was sleepy and cute, but still unimpressed.

“Or we can send a picture to the Iwa-kawa’s and let them handle it?” he amended.

“Yes, better,” Takahiro turned back to the lions with a yawn. “But tomorrow, not today. There’s a reason I haven’t gone online even once today, y’know. Those two are insufferable enough on weekdays. Don’t need to know what I ‘interrupt’ on their precious weekends.”

“They’ll wonder why we haven’t added anything on Instagram after breakfast,” Issei pointed out offhandedly, only to receive another tired, cute, unimpressed look from his boyfriend.

“Let them wonder,” Takahiro decided. Issei hummed and shrugged, sinking further into the couch. The lion documentary continued on. Puffington was somehow able to jump on the couch, burrowing into Issei’s side. She’d finally tired herself out and happily let Issei’s petting lull her to sleep.

Some odd hour later, while the documentary ended and the credits started to roll, Takahiro yawned and stretched. Or at least, he was going to, but then he remembered Puffers was still in his lap, fast asleep, and he fell back with an oomph.

“Oh, hey, I thought of something,” Issei spoke, making Takahiro look up at him. He had that look on his face- that rare lopsided, love-struck, excited, mischievous smirk that always made Takahiro want to kiss him.

“We haven’t done our Christmas Family Photo yet,” Issei said, looking positively giddy at the thought.

Takahiro laughed, hard enough to wake Puffers up. She stared at him with a completely miffed expression, then hopped off of him to sleep in some other room. Just as well, he was now free to go to his boyfriend and kiss that expression he liked so much.

**Author's Note:**

> Some stuff:
> 
> \- As far as I know, there's no place called Bag of Beans filled with bean bags, w/c is both sad and probably for the best (bean bags would probably make a mess in a coffee shop?)  
> \- I know nothing about the official pet adoption process  
> \- I also know nothing about small house fire protocols  
> \- Did I do the characters alright? Please tell me what you think!


End file.
